Word on the old school curb, and according to DailyMail, sources close to the respective moguls says that Oprah is allegedly frustrated by Perry’s lack of ability to take criticism, and is ready to wash her hands of him despite the fact that his shows brings big ratings to her network, OWN. There have been rumors swirling around for quite some time that Perry has an “attitude” when it comes to being criticized, but Oprah’s not the one!
“When Tyler first brought his shows to OWN in 2012, it was a love affair between the two of them,” the source says. “Oprah was very involved in watching Tyler develop them creatively and they even shot promos together with her as Miss Sophia from The Color Purple and he as Madea. But that relationship has soured in the last six months because Oprah finds Tyler difficult to work with and he doesn’t take constructive criticism well at all.”
According to the source, things got especially tense when Oprah tried to bring new writers onto Perry’s shows, particularly The Have and Have Nots, after viewer feedback suggested Perry’s writing was lacking. “That’s when Oprah finally got to see a side of Tyler she hadn’t experienced yet,” the source says. “He resisted her feedback, the same way he resists the feedback of critics and media people who chastise his work, and became extremely defensive with her.”
The source continues, “He told her, ‘Aren’t the shows delivering ratings for the network? Well, then let me do what I do and you can keep your focus group research to yourself.'”
What’s more, Oprah is reportedly pissed about recent news reports claiming Perry “saved” her network with his high-rated shows. The impasse means the two moguls are keeping their distance from eachother.
‘Oprah basically had to remind him, “you needed me as much as I needed you when we decided to do this partnership and don’t forget that”,’ tells the source.
The professional squabble caused the two to stop communicating as much personally.
“Gone were the days of them having long phone conversations and texting late into the night.”
Of course, his absense could also have to do with the fact that he has a newborn baby at home. We’re hoping these feud rumors are just that — rumors — because these two Black Hollywood powerhouses work amazingly well together.
